Apparatus for raising water by steam



2 M A N R U B W APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER BY STEAM.

Patented Dec. 18,, 1888;

Elm-394,826.

N Perms fhowulhognphur. Wushlnglan. 0,0,

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

W. BURNHAM. APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER BY STEAM. No. 394,826.PatentedDec. 18, 1888-.

WXK 0A 1% N. rrrens. PholO-Lhbognpber. Wanhington, ac

Nrrnn STATES PATENT Orrice.

IVALTER BIIRNHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER BY STEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,826, dated December18, 1888.

Application filed February 21 1888. Serial No. 264,810. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER BURNHAM, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use fulImprovements in Apparatus for Raising \Vater and other Liquids andSubstances by Steam; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in an adaptation of the steamapparatus described in an appliction for patent made by \Villiam Irving,of Chicago, Illinois, filed February 7, 1888, Serial No. 263,225, inwhich said Irving provides for the liftin g of water of condensation andentrainment from a steam-pipe and its return to the generator by thedirect agency of steam.

The objects of the present improvements are to apply the principle ofthe Irving invention to the raising of liquids and substances other thanwater of condensation or entrainment, either for its delivery into asteam-generator, as in the case of feed-water, or for its deliveryexterior to the generator, as in the case of the use of the apparatusfor pumping water, oil, or other liquids or solids insmall particles,such as sand.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in apparati'lsdesigned to raise liquids.

In Figure 1 are shown two separate or separable apparatuses inconnection with a single steam-generator, and in Fig. 2 is shown anapparatus for raising water by successive stages to a great height.

Fig. l is a vertical transverse section of' a steam-generator, a similarsection of a vessel to which external water or otherfluid may besupplied and from which it is to be raised, a similar section of anelevated tank into which water or other fluid from the lower tank is tobe delivered when not sent to the generator, a steam-pipe in elevationleading from the generator to the tank from which water to be raised, apipe leading from said tank to the water-space of the generator, a pipeleading also from the lower to the elevated tank, a pipe leading fromthe latter tank to the water-space of the generator, and variousadjuncts and connections, all in. elevation. Fig. 2 shows a generator intransverse vertical section, a series of tanks at different elevations,also in vertical section, a steam-supply pipe in elevation connectingthe steam-space of the generator with each of the several tanks, andlifting-pipes severally connecting each of the several tanks with theone above it and the last of said tanks with the water-space of thegenerator, together with various adjunctive devices and connections.

Referring first to Fig. l, A represents a steam-generator; 5, a tank orreservoir from which water is to be raised either to the generator orother elevated receptacle; (J, a steampipe leading from the generator tothe upper part of the reservoir B, and D a pipe communicating with thelower part of the reservoir B, and also with the water-space of thegenerator. B is a pipe provided with a valve, 7), by which water may beintroduced into the reservoir B for the purpose of being fed through thepipe D into the generator A.

Limiting the description, for the present, to the elements just pointedout, and recurring to the specification of \Villiam Irving, hereinbeforereferred to, it will be remembered that it only the water ofcondensation and entrainment from the steam-pipe C be admitted to achamber, 13, and if the pipe D be connected with the bottom of thechamber B,- there will be a rapid flow of steam from the chamber Bupwardly through the pipe D to a low-pressure space above the water inthe leg (Z of said pipe D, and that in such upward rush of the steamthrough D the water of condensation and entrainment will be carried insmall masses along with the steam and deposited in the leg (I, whence itwill ultimately find its way in the water-space ot' the generator. Ihave found that such uptlow of steam may be made to carry more waterthan that condensed in or entrained with the steam from the generatorinto the pipe 0, and that an apparatus working on the principle of saidIrving device may be made to feed the boiler with whatever water it mayrequire in addition to the entrained and condensed water, which isreturned thereto. More generally speaking, I have discovered that theIrving principle may be applied successfully to the pumping ICO orraising of l iquids other than or in addition to such water ofcondensation and entrainment as may form or enter the steam-supply pipe.

In the operation of the Irving system, as described by him in thel.)(}f()l6*lll0lllll()l10d specification, a too large body of water .inthe enlargement of the steam-pipe, which he terms the separator, (andwhich, in a sense, answers to the chamber or reservoir ll of the presentdrawings) will prevent the inauguration of that movement of steam bywhich the water may be lifted. I provide means by which such a body ofwateras, for example, that shown by dotted lines in the chamber ll ofFig. 1may be taken into the return-pipe in a restricted stream, andsteam at. the same time admitted to said return-pipe in sufficient(illlitllllll y to raise the water as fast as admitted, andthus obviatethe necessity of emptying said chamber I as a preliminary to theinauguration of the lifting operationdesired. 'lhat form of the devicefor this purpose which is shown in. Fig. 1 consists of a pipe, I),provided with a valve, (7 and leading from the bottom of the tank l3into the pipe I), tor the regulated outflow ot' the water, and a jointedsteam-pipe, D provided with a float, I), at: its free end, whichsustains its open mouth above the water-level, and which communicates atits opposite end with the pipes I) and D. il-ly closing the valve (1si'ilticiently to limit the outflow ot' waterthrough the pipe I) to aquantity which may be raised by the steam admitted to the pipe I)through the pipe D it becomes manifestly immaterial what bulk orquantity of water may be present in the chamber B, and any quai'itity ofwater maybe at any time admitted to said i From this 5 chamber Itherefore, the generator may be eending steam, and may rise to anyheight chamber through the pipe 1-3.

wholly supplied, no matter what ouant ity of? its water may go to wastefrom the exhaust of an engine or other steam-using device deriving itssupply from the gcmerator.

In connection with the float l), for sustaining the free end of thejointed pipe 1J I have shown as a sul'istitute [for the waterpipe I) anorifice, (I in the bottom of the float and leading into the pipe D saidvorifice being controlled by a valve, (7 it not originally made smallenough to of itself properly limit the inflow of water to said pipe I)?In. Fig. 52 ot' the drawings I have Shown. still another eonstru(,tion.as, for example, inv the tank ll at the bottom of said :fi 'u re,wherein the pipe D instead of being 3' om ted and sustained at its freeend by a float, is rigid and extends to near the top of the chamber B.

Not only may water sullicient to supply the waste from the generator beraised by the Irving apparatus, but water or other fluid or fluidscarrying solids, or even solids themselves, if like sand, may be liftedand delivered into a receptacle other than the generator. For thispurpose I have devised the construction shown at the right: of Fig. 1,

wherein a tank, is connected at its upper portion into the return-pipeI), which answers to the return-piped) at the leftot' said figure. Inthis construction water and steam, being delivered into the pipe l)through l) (or and D respectively, both rise through I) and enter thetank I3 where the water (in operating with that fluid) is de iiositedand the steam, or a greater portion thereof, eondenses, giving anincreased activity to the liltingaetion of the device pro )ortioned tothe greater heat radiation or condensing action 01 the tank l Someportion of the steam will, however, pass on into the leg (It, and willbe condensed abovethe water therein, and the water of such comlensationin the leg willv enter the generator.

An apparatus providtal with a tank orchamber, D in substantially theposition shown in I ig. l, and constructed t'avorably to the radiationof heat therefrom and consequent condtaisation of steam therein, orhaving its pipe-ctmnection (I provided with a valved escape, may be madeto serve as a very ellieient pumping or fluid-litting device, and, sofar as can be determined from experiments already made, there seems tobe no narrow limit to the height to which water can be so lifted. Ifenough steam be passed through the lifting-pipe I) to carry the water inthe Form oi spray wholly rather than in the form of pistons or slugs,traiisversely lilling the pipe I), the law of balance as between thewater ascending with the steam in said lilting-pipe and that of the massor column in the leg (7 seems to be to this extent abrogated. In otherwords, it appears that such quantity of water as is carried upward bythe steam in spray or vapor does not pcrceptibly weigh as against thewater column in the leg (I, and may, therel'ole, exist to any extent inthe as tluin'ewith without all ecting, or at least defeating, theoperation of the apparatus. The aggregate mass of water carried up bythe steam in detached masses which do transversely till the lifting-pipel) or l) does, however, weigh against the column in the waterlcg, and.to provide for the lifting of water in such large masses to greatheights by applicat ion. of the Irving principle I have devised thectmstruetion shown in Fig. In this ligure is shown a succession oftanks, B, B and ll, one above the other, with means l'tneithcr tirstlil'ting water from the lowest tank to the next higher and thereafterfrom that to the next higher still, or under proper comlitions ot'steam-supply for lifting from all of the tanks to the next higher at thesame time. In this Fig. 2 the broken pipe 0 is a steamsupply pipelcznlingt'rom the generator to the lowest tank, 13, of a series oftanks, which may comprise any numbt, according to the distance to whichwater is to be raised. From said pipe 0 leads the valved pipe to eachone of the more elevated tanks B It, &e. Below the branches t." isloeatet'l in the pipe U a valve, 0, which enables the steam-su iiply tobe out off from the tank or tanks located below either of said valves.The return-pipe 0r lifting-pipe (D D D*, &c.) answering to D or Dot'Fig. 1 extends in Fig. 2 from each of the said tanks to the next oneabove it, the upper one of said return-pipes being shown as terminatingin a leg, (Z, which passes below the water-line of the generator. Saidreturnpipes are marked in Fig. 2 respectively D D, and I), and saidpipes are respectively provided with stop-valves (Z (Z d in addition'tothe check and escape valves located in the upper part ofsaidlifting-pipes, which are the same as shown in the said Irvingspecification. The water-liftin g pipes which enter the tanks B and llterminate below the waterline of said tanks as the leg (Z terminatesbelow the water-line of the generator, and a water-line is given in saidtanks B B by the upward prolongation of the water-discharge pipes D.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 may be employed to raise only the water ofcondensation and entrainment from the steam-pipe C-as, for example, whensaid pipe is prolonged beyond the chamber B by the pipe C leading to anengine or other steam-usingdevice-or it may be employed to raise waterother than or in addition to such water of condensation and entrainment.hen the latter purpose is had in view, the tank B will be provided witha valved inlet, B, for the supply of water thereto. In the use of thisapparatus for raising water successively from a lower tank to a higher011e, or from thelowest to the next higher, then from the second to thenext higher still, and so on, the operation will be as follows: Closethe valve in the pipe C leading to the tank B and open that leading tothe tank B both the valves 0 being open; also open the valve il" in Dand partially open the valve (1 in the water-discharge pipe D, leadingfrom the bottom of the lowermost tank, B. Both of the tanks B and B willin this case be subject to steampressure from the pipe 0. A limitedquantity of water will pass through D into D and will be carried upwardthrough D into the descending leg (I of D and ultimately into the tank Bby the action of the steam which passes from the tank B through D intosaid lifting-pipe D The water having been exhausted from ll into B toraise the same from the tank *3 to the tank B only close the valve 0below the branch C, which leads to the tank B and open the valve in thesteam branch C, leading to 13 also open (.1 and, finally, open slightlythe valve (1 in the pipe D, leading to the pipe D The valves (1 and d ofthe lifting-pipe D, leading from B", are supposed to be closed. Theoperation of the steam to lift the water through the lifting-pipe D islike that already pointed out in connection with the pipe D Finally, tooperate the uppermost system or circuit alone, close the valve 0 nextbelow the steam branch 0, leading to B and open first d and then (1 ofthe upper systemf If it is desired to operate all of the systems orseries of lifting devices at the same time, all the tanks are put understeampressure and the several valvesin the lifting-pipes D D and D areopened, as already described that is to say, (1", d, and ('Z are fullyopened, and d of each lifting-pipe is opened only so far as will permitsuch a quantity of water to pass as may be raised by the steam throughthe adjacent pipe D Returning to Fig. l, ihe tank B is shown providedwith two discharge-pipes, B and B provided with cocks or valves, theformer leading from a higher point in the tank than the latter. The tankll is also shown as having a valved pipe, l3, leading from a somewhatelevated point of the tank into the lifting-pipe I). Suppose that oil orother liquid lighter than water be introduced into the tank B and toextend from a point below to a point above B". The pipe l5 may be penedinstead of D, or both may be opened to a less extent than either wouldbe opened alone, and the oil or the oil and water will be raised anddelivered into the tank '3 By means of the pipes B and PE, reaching tounequal heights in the tank E the water and the oil may be separatelywithdrawn. The valves (Z d are manifestly for the sole purpose ofcutting off D or D when both have a single connection with a tank, 15.

Not only liquids, but sand and similar substances, may be raised by themethod and apparatus described.

In other applications for patent filed by me of'even date herewith Ihave pointed out that other forms and arrangements of water column inthe return or water-lifting pipe may be used, and in one otherapplication have shown an obstacle of a purely mechanical character totake the place of awater column. In one i11- stance I have shown thewaterlifting pipe as having no connection with the generator, and asbeing provided with a water column adapted to resist the pressure fromthe generator within the condensiiig-chamber, the water of condensationand entrainment being from time to time added to such resisting columnat one end thereof, while at the other end it overflows into an elevatedreceptacle other than the generator. I desire it tobe under stood thatany of these various forms of ob staele may be employed in the variousforms of apparatus shown herewith instead of employing the connection ofthe water-lifting pipe with the generator, as here shown.

In other applications I have also shown a valved pipe. leading from thebottom of a separator or other chamber to a return or water-liftingpipe, and a second pipe leading from the steam-space of such separatoror chamber into the return -pi pe, whereby the out- How of water may becontrolled and a preliminary abstraction of the entire body of watorfrom the separator or chamber avoided as a prerequisite to starting thelifting element of the apparatus. Such construction not, therefore,herein broadly claimed.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, .with a stea'nrsupply pipe,of a chamber or tank provided with means for the introduction ol" wateror other fluid or substance, at more elevated chamber or tank providedwith means forwithdrawing its contents,and a pipe provided with branchesconnected, respctdively, with the upper and lower parts of thelowerchamber and delivering into the upper part of the upperchamber.

2. The combination, with a steam-supply pipe, of a chamber provided withmeans for introdu ci 11g water or oth er 1 iqu id or substance, a moreelevated chamber provided with means for witlulrawing its contents, andapipe leading to the upper part of the upper chamber, which pipe isprovided with two branches, one ot which communicat es with thesteamspace and the other of which, having a regulating-valve therein,communicates with the lower part or \vater-s 'mce of said, lowerchamber.

3. The combination, with a steam-supply pipe, of a chamber provided withmeans for int rod uci ng wat er or other-liquid or substance, a moreelevated chamber provided with a pluralityot' valved disc]large-passageslocated at different elevations, and a pipe connected with the lowerchamber by three passages which open at different elevations in saidchamber.

l. The cmnbination ot' a steam-generator, a chamber provided with meansfor introducing water, a steam-supply pipe leading from the generatorinto said chamber, a more elevated chamber provided with means forwithdrawing its contents, a pipe having connection by separate brancheswith both steam and water spaces of the lower chamber and deliveringinto the upper part of the more elevated chamher, and a pipe leadingfrom the steam-space of said upper chamber into the generator and havinga desceiidii'ig part high enough to contain a water column due to thedifference between the pressures above and below it.

The combination,with a steam-genera tor, ot two or more tanks located atdil'ferent elevations below the water-level oi. the generator, thelowern'iost of said tanks being provided with means for admitting waterthereto, a steanrsupply pipe leading from the generator to each of saidtanks, pipes severally connecting both the water-space and thestezun-space of each tank with the tank above it, (the highest tankbeing thus connected with the generator,) and each of saidlast-mentioned connecting-pipes having apart which rises above thewater-level of the tan k or generator, into which it delivers, and asucceeding descent containing a water column of height due to theditl'ere'nce in the pressures above and below it, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as in 'invention 'l'altixmysignature in presence of two witnesses \VALTER BURNHAM.

\V itnesses:

M. E. DAYTON, TAYLOR E. B'RowN.

